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Automobile gets first drive in the Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid
Filed under: Hybrid, Mercedes Benz
Mercedes Benz will be launching its first hybrid, the S400 BlueHybrid next spring and Phil Floraday from Automobile got a chance to sample it on a recent trip to Europe. The S400 is a mild hybrid, and in many respects it’s more similar to the Honda IMA system than Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy drive. The S400 will be the first mass-produced hybrid with a lithium ion battery pack. As Phil explains, the system provides start/stop capability, and some electric boost. However, the main purpose is to drive vehicle electrical systems off the lithium battery, reducing the parasitic loads on the engine. The battery itself gets most of its charging from regenerative braking that provides 75 percent of the braking capability in most urban driving.
Gallery: Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid
[Source: Automobile]
Automobile gets first drive in the Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: toyota, honda, mercedes
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PopSci’s Best of What’s New highlights green tech
Filed under: Emerging Technologies
Looking back at the year that was, what struck your fancy? The editors at Popular Science have dug deep into the automotive world of technology and come up with their choices for the Best of What’s New special section. Not surprisingly, green technology advancements make up a large portion of the mag’s list, including Ford’s upcoming line of EcoBoost engines, the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen car, and Ford’s capless fuel filler. Interestingly, though, the EcoBoost series of powerplants have yet to see the light of day in 2008 models, though we’re expecting to see them relatively soon. Also, the FCX Clarity is most definitely a technological marvel, but it costs about as much as a ride to the moon and is only available to a select few individuals in California at the moment. That leaves us with the capless fuel filler, which is indeed available on real models in 2008. Dubbed Direct Fill System, the capless filler reduces evaporative emissions, but it’s not without potential problems.
[Source: Popular Science]
PopSci’s Best of What’s New highlights green tech originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: honda, ford
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Ford says product first, "you can’t cut your way to profitability"
Filed under: MPG, Ford, GM
It’s been said that “you can’t cut your way to profitability.” This is especially true in product-related businesses like the auto industry. It doesn’t matter how low your costs are if you don’t have desirable products that people want to buy. Ford CEO Alan Mullaly appears to understand this maxim. In spite of financial difficulties, so far Ford has not delayed any new product programs. The retooling of former truck factories to produce the Fiesta, next generation Focus and other small and mid-sized cars is proceeding full speed ahead. Ford spokesman Alan Hall was asked at a meeting about adding extra production capacity for the new Fusion in the event that sales take off after it’s introduction. Hall said that the factories that are being re-tooled are being switched flexible manufacturing systems that will allow Ford to adjust quickly, much like Honda has done recently.
This contrasts sharply with General Motors which has gone into cash conservation mode and delayed virtually every new product program except the Volt. Unfortunately, given GM’s dwindling cash reserves, they may have no other viable option. Delaying new products is not desirable, but if bills can’t be paid, the products won’t matter because no one will supply parts. The big question is how long will Ford be able to persist before it has to start cutting?
Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta Zetec S
Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta
[Source: Green Car Advisor]
Ford says product first, “you can’t cut your way to profitability” originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: gm, volt, ford, honda
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Prius markups? Yeah right. It’s incentive time
$1,000 off MSRP
Just came accross an ad for the Toyota Prius offering $1,000 off MSRP here in Southern California - a far cry from the $5,000 + that some dealers were adding onto MSRP this summer.
If you believe that falling gas prices are just the calm before the storm, or you just want to do your part to fight global warming or foreign oil dependency, finding a good deal on a hybrid is getting easier. And, it’s going to get even easier.
Competition in the hybrid cars segment will increase significantly in 2009, especially with the launch of the Honda Insight hybrid. Additionally, Toyota has promised a significant increase in Prius production.
Tags: honda, gm, prius, toyota
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AutoblogGreen for 11.14.08
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green
The three cars in the image above are all battery powered, and are all incredibly hard to get. First off, on the right we have a DIY 1970 VW Bradley GT electric car (this one’s the easiest to buy, because it’s on eBay). Second, with the big SOLD tag, is the $100,000 electric Super Car from Sam’s Club. Third, as you might already recognize, is the Brabus Tesla Roadster. Yumz.
- Obama to be transported in GMC Topkick “Cadillac”
- Sam’s Club finds buyer for $100,000 electric Super Car package
- BYD: Gas for developing countries, EVs for developed countries
- Brabus tunes the Tesla Roadster - yes, you can get neon with that
- eBay Find of the Day: 1970 VW Bradley GT electric car
- Once you can charge up your ride anywhere, what happens?
- Hardball duo completely fumble American green car discussion
- Petroleum-free liquid crystals the next big thing in lubricants?
- Why we care: Dirty air in California kills more people than car crashes do
- LA Preview: Volkswagen unveiling Touareg TDI Trophy Truck
- Minnesota congressman wants to see E15 nationwide
- Rumors of a hybrid Le Mans racer from Toyota pop back up
- Fisker and Valmet finalize Finnish production deal
- Pro-hydrogen blog collects Toyota and Honda executives criticizing plug-in cars
- Toyota iQ wins Japanese Car of the Year
AutoblogGreen for 11.14.08 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: gmc, toyota, gm, honda
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Pro-hydrogen blog collects Toyota and Honda executives criticizing plug-in cars
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hydrogen, USA
Forecasting flaps for Tesla, Nissan and Chevy. Highlighting the limited range batteries offer. Wondering how well they would perform under less-than-ideal conditions. Explaining the cost of replacing li-ion batteries.There’s a lot of electric vehicle and plug-in criticism going on on Greg Blencoe’s self-defined “for hydrogen advocates only” blog post that has gathered up 25 quotes from Toyota and Honda executives. Blencoe also found five additional quotes from sources outside of the Japanese automakers are added at the end (one coming from us) that plainly criticize EVs and plug-ins. Blencoe is the CEO of Hydrogen Discoveries, a hydrogen pipeline start-up company based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and he gets some credit for collecting these in one place, but we’re not sure that using quotes from five people talking to different media outlets at different times should really count as 25.
[Source: Hydrogen Discoveries]
Pro-hydrogen blog collects Toyota and Honda executives criticizing plug-in cars originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: honda, ford, gm, toyota
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Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year for 2008: Hypermiling
Considering how much we wrote about hypermiling in the past year (see here, here, here, here and
Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year for 2008: Hypermiling
Considering how much we wrote about hypermiling in the past year (see here, here, here, here and
Come 2009, U.S. tax credits will exist mostly for large, low-MPG hybrids
Filed under: Hybrid, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, USA
What’s in a number? For hybrid buyers, the number 60,000 is an important one. As you might know, when Congress enacted the particular hybrid tax credit, they set a limit of 60,000 vehicles per manufacturer to get the discount, and the more popular hybrids now do not qualify for any government assistance. The Toyota bonus ran out a year ago and, as soon as 2008 is over, the Honda hybrids will no longer qualify, leaving just 16 models that can be used to claim the credit in 2009. Green Car Advisor put together a list of these models and the crazy thing is, only one gets more than 33 mpg (the 2007-08 Nissan Altima Hybrid). The rest of the government money will go towards encouraging people to buy the unwanted large hybrids from Ford and GM. Where is the sense in this?
Gallery: 2009 Toyota Prius
[Source: Green Car Advisor]
Come 2009, U.S. tax credits will exist mostly for large, low-MPG hybrids originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: gm, toyota, ford, prius, honda
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LA Preview: Kia to debut fuel cell-powered Borrego SUV
Filed under: Hydrogen, Kia, LA Auto Show
Apparently the production version of the Kia Soul won’t be the only debut on the Kia stand next week in Los Angeles. Kia will also be featuring a version of its new Borrego SUV with electric drive and a hydrogen fuel cell. The fuel cell stack is the fourth generation of Hyundai’s in-house developed system as in the i-Blue concept that appeared at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. In the Borrego FCEV the stack will provide power for a 154 hp electric motor and the vehicle should have of about 315 miles. The new stack design is also expected to have cold starting capability down to -30o C. Kia is evidently planning a low volume production test using the Borrego FCEV in South Korea beginning in 2010, similar to what Honda has been doing with its FCX Clarity program.
[Source: Kia-World]
LA Preview: Kia to debut fuel cell-powered Borrego SUV originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: honda, fuel cell
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